Advertise a Beauty Salon

One of the most important elements of owning a successful and profitable hair salon is creating a suitable and viable advertising campaign. Unfortunately, many salon owners learn how to advertise through trial and error, which is often costly and inefficient. By developing an appropriate marketing strategy and promoting your salon strategically, you may significantly expand your salon business.

Steps

Developing an Advertising Campaign

  1. Establish your budget. Advertising in a broad range of media during key times of the year may help you to reach thousands of potential new clients. Establishing a media budget before you buy any advertising can help you determine your potential return on investment and keep you from wasting capital.
    • Consider advertising beyond the Internet with print, radio, or television ads, which will reach a much wider audience than just the Internet.
    • Radio or television ads can be expensive so they may be more appropriate for larger salons. One advantage of spending a little extra money on radio or television ads is that you’ll reach a much wider potential client base.
    • Spend your advertising budget where your potential clients read, listen, or watch, and within a circulation range of no more than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} from your business.
    • Create a budget that allows for more advertising campaigns during your busiest times of the year, such as Christmas and Mother’s Day.[1]
  2. Figure out your customer profile. You’ll want to target the specific market to which you plan to advertise. Figuring out your customer profile will help you advertise your salon most effectively and successfully.
    • To create your customer profile, consider geographic location of your salon, gender, average income level, marital status, education level, and hobbies and interests.
  3. Create your brand. Choose a salon name, logo and design that engages your target market(s). This will help establish your identity and may create a connection between you and your customers or potential clients.[2]
    • Consider elements such as color schemes, names, and design features.[2]
    • Think about your location so that your brand matches it.[2] Is your salon is in a quaint tourist region or a major urban area?
    • Take note of successful businesses in your area and draw upon their ideas while keeping your brand distinctive and memorable compared to competitors.[2]
    • You and your staff are a part of the brand, so make sure to market your skills and talents.[2]
    • Coining a catchy slogan that can be printed on business cards, uniforms, and staff e-mail signatures can help establish your brand. For example, if your salon promotes holistic and energy based treatments, your slogan could be "beauty, bliss and beyond" or "good energy, great beauty.[3]
  4. Hire an advertising agency or design your own ads. Once you’ve established the basic parameters of your advertising campaign, you can create the contents of your ads. You can design your own ads or hire an advertising agency, which may help optimize your campaign.
    • If you decide to use professional help, meet with a several different ad agencies to find the one that best meets your needs and wishes.[4]
    • An ad agency can either design your web site or may help you find the right web designer.
    • If you decide to design your own ads and website, research local businesses advertising to guide your design. You want your brand to be simple, distinctive, and attractive to your clients and potential customers.
  5. Design your print and audio ads. Ads are often the first impression potential clients have of you and you’ll want to write your print and radio ads to attract them. Hooking your potential customers and keeping the message simple and concise can help attract a wide array clients.
    • Design your ads to complement your brand. Use similar color and design schemes so that clients and potential customers associate these elements with you.
    • Include items in your ad such as the salon name, your specialties, and any specials or offers you may have. Keep the information brief and simple so that people can easily remember your salon.
  6. Design your beauty salon's web site. Your web site should present a snapshot of the experience a client will enjoy at your salon. It is important that your salon have a professional looking website because it can draw in potential clients and help keep your current customer .
    • The design should match your brand and mirror the feeling your clients will have when they enter your salon: maybe it's calm and serene; maybe it's vibrant and lively.[5]
    • Include sections on different services, stylists and their experience and talents, prices, products you sell, and any specials you offer.[5]
    • Structure the web site so that search engines can easily locate and bring potential clients to it.[5]
    • Include details like location, phone number, working hours, and email address on your website.
    • Portray other aspects of your business such as the environment and facilities you provide like free coffee, Wi-Fi.
    • Take help of online templates and customize them according to your needs.

Promoting Your Salon

  1. Guarantee your products and services. Guarantee the quality of your products and services. If you believe in them enough to guarantee satisfaction, potential clients may be more likely try out your salon and current clients may be more likely to stay.
  2. Buy advertising space in different media. You want to attract the broadest potential client base to your salon. Buying advertising space on different media such as newspapers, television, radio, or the web can help you increase your business.
    • Make sure that the advertising you buy fits your needs and remains within the budget you established.
    • Tailor your media coverage based on your location. For example, it’s better to advertise in a larger local newspaper with broader circulation than in a news journal specifically written for your town.
  3. Promote through social media. People are increasingly getting information from social media accounts. Setting up Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts can help advertise your salon and its services.
    • Write posts about specials or events happening in your salon.
    • Post pictures of clients and use hashtags to increase your visibility.
    • Offer discounts to those happy customers who stop by to give reviews.
    • In case of bad reviews, listen to the complaints of unsatisfied customers and try to work upon them.
    • Interact with your customers on a regular basis.
  4. Write monthly or quarterly informational newsletters. Staying in regular contact with your target markets by email or regular mail will keep your salon name readily available. It can also direct clients and potential customers to your media accounts or actual salon.
    • For example, you can write a bi-monthly newsletter, but make sure to keep your information concise and the sales pitch at a minimum.
  5. Offer specials to potential and current customers. Develop different specials or offers for clients that do not decrease your profits. Giving people an incentive can attract them to try out or return to your salon.
    • Think of something inexpensive, but effective at enticing possible clients. For example, offer a free travel size hair product or a manicure on for birthdays. You can also offer a discount to first time clients or on slower business days.[6]
    • Christmas is the time when everyone looks for offers and discounts. You can take advantage of the Christmas holiday by giving your customers special Christmas offers and discounts. This will help in attracting new as well as existing customers.
  6. Encourage client referrals. Beauty salons rely heavily on word-of-mouth advertising. Train employees how to build clientele through referrals and client relationships. Give a discount or upgrade on later visit to clients who refer a friend.
    • Be sure your business cards, media sites, and ads mention how clients can "friend" you on social media sites. Mention the benefits of being a friend of your beauty salon and consider coupling this with sweepstakes and daily deals offered only through your social media sites.[6]
    • Develop incentive programs for referrals. For example, you can run a contest for clients who refer the most new customers by rewarding them a free service of their choice.
  7. Partner with other businesses. Use other businesses to advertise your salon. You can work out a system where other local businesses display your business cards in their office in exchange for putting theirs in your salon.
    • You can also consider running promotions with other businesses. For example, you and a local restaurant could offer discounts for visiting both locations.
    • Host special events with other businesses to help defray costs. You could hold a sidewalk sale or a sponsor charity event with a partner business to help draw clients to both companies.
  8. Partner with national brands. Partnering with large, national or international brands can also attract customers. This can help increase your exposure through various types of media.
    • For example, if you sell specific products, make sure the company places your salon name on their site telling under “available at these salons”.
  9. Sell branded merchandise. Selling a small selection of branded merchandise such as clothing or practical items like combs or brushes can increase exposure in your area. Make sure to keep inventory of these products at a minimum until you know they can sell.



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Sources and Citations